1. They don't.

2. Not at all. 

I don't think people do think we are all like that.  I think they are well aware that a lot of us are not in the least bit happy about the situation.

They might think that about our government and frankly I can't say they are wrong.

Dux, anyone who has met you would be convinced of it.  Your first words ever to me on Rof were racist Little Englander crap.

Stix, there are plenty who are happy to generalise, and even more who think it now than did before.  Same has happened with Oz thanks to white supremacists.

We are not at all, but the few that are make controversial copy. Which sells.

If the media interviewed me they'd walk away thinking that was rational and boring. We're not going to get any mileage out of that, lets find some nutters instead.

It doesn't just take nutters, Chambo.  If I had a quid for every time I've heard "We don't mean immigrants like you" in the past two years I'd be rivalling Gates.

I really don't think many foreigners are following our politics all that closely.  The ones that are won't be the type to make silly snap judgments on a nation of many millions based on what a bunch of rancid vote-seeking narcissists in the House of Commons said last Tuesday......

They're not following closely but they get he jist.

This is why I specify Scottish now even though many people aren't sure where that is.

And they were basically just waiting for a reason anyway

Lord

The lol that has me most is the concept that the UK’s goodwill currency could be any lower  than it already was.  Let’s be fair here, the majority of mainland Europe has hated us for quite a variety of reasons for rather a long time.  This just gives them a new excuse to express it, beyond our “two world wars and one World Cup” stuff.

Mays deal is the peacetime equivalent of the treaty of Versailles and everyone knows it but her.  It is Europe attempting to punish the UK for either repeatedly beating them (Germany et al) or saving them (France et al).

And that ridiculous anglocentric belief is why they hold Brits in such contempt

The war was nearly a century ago

What have we done lately?

Exactly 

I don’t think you’re all racists- only half of you. Much like Americans. And as I live in a country with its own fair share, I don’t judge. 

CNN poll today: 93% of those responding said "Yes" to the question "Has Brexit made the UK a laughing stock?"

Scottish, so not bothered by this, forrins (especially germans and yanks) are terrible at geography and history so equate uk with english. 

Clergs have lived and worked in several countries and I don't know who this 'everyone' you are talking about is. Nowhere I have been do they think we are racist as a nation. Teclis this idea of our goodwill being low with other nations is also not really true amongst the general population. Yes they make the odd joke about Brexit (but if it isn't happening to you it is Brexit is quite lolsome), but they still like us. The political class are a bit bored of brexit but it is really just them. Just because the UK media says things doesn't really make it true.

This thread is a variation on the idea that all/most leave voters are racists. This is obviously silly.

The EU is a political organisation. It should be possible in a grown-up society to oppose membership of the EU without incessant accusations of racism.

Absolute state of this. 

not all brits, but far too many right now

but it's kinda always like that, innit

even back then not all Germans were nazis, but nazis were running the show, 40-50% were convinced nazis and everybody else complied IMHO

Currently fraternising with the enemy.  Can confirm they mostly just think our parliament are hilariously incompetent. Prime time comedy material. Literally 

Wot clubbers said.

Just like the Americans really. Trump is a laughing stock but no one with any brains and certainly not ‘everyone’ judges all Americans by his actions.

Well done comparing brexiters to Nazis. A very apt comparison.

You utter f*cking moron.

A lot of them have the same base materials.

I think anyone who "hasn't noticed" complete scorn (agreed that it is intended specifically for the English but the lines are hazy) is just living in a bit of a vacuum.

Believe me that Europeans think you're people are total w**kers when you're not in the room.

Americans are different because they got their own problems.

well done spraying swastikas on EU flags outside Westminster, brexiters

#w**kfest

Erm, no I haven’t noticed ‘complete scorn’ and I was speaking at a conference abroad with a dozen other European nationalities at it just a fortnight ago.

Interest, certainly. Concern, a little. But scorn, not at all.  

If anything there was humour from a number of nationalities along the lines of ‘you think your government is bad, well here’s what ours just did’.

what strutter said. I haven't noticed complete scorn either and I work exclusively with Europeans

plenty of mental racists/incompetent idiots in other countries too for them to cast stones at us

Exactly what Strutter said.

My experience of it has been more of the bewilderment / lols variety but it depends on who you're speaking with and how its raised.

e.g. discussing with some lawyers the fact that their local (EU) exchange is prohibiting all non-domestic issuers from listing.  Slipping in an "well we can hardly criticise given Brexit" gives more of a point of common bafflement.

there is some scorn, but not everybody is as annoyed as myself for example

"plenty of mental racists/incompetent idiots in other countries too for them to cast stones at us"

yes and thatg stops us from slagging off the Americans, Italians and French

oh no wait it doesn't

maybe in your posh bubbles this is your vibe but it is not a genuine vibe

I don't even believe the Europeans you are takling to through work are giving you honest views - I met a bunch of French guys from an investment bank last week and they observed how Engilsh people are really false so you can't tell them what you actually think. Topical types.

Well in my case this was a residential conference with plenty of grog flowing so I think I got a pretty honest set of views from people on a whole variety of topics.

They certainly weren’t so scornful that I didn’t get invited back to do a similar slot next year.

If the bothered scale stretched from bothered at the Edinburgh end to not bothered here in London I'd be sitting exactly where I am now.

Isn't the very premise of this thread itself racist (possibly in two ways)?

it's a bit like the statement "all foreigners are racist" I will concede

I think a lot of people notice a (concerning?) trend similar to what is happening in their own countries. Some describe it as a growing populist movement or a pull to the right and a pull to the left with a gaping hole in the middle. Some focus on the more extreme right/racist elements, some focus on the inability of politicians to retain trust.

Nobody sees the UK as a racist nation. The whole Brexshitshambles is funny and bewildering and not a good look for your politicians. It is also not good for the UK as a negotiating party. This will take many years to restore. People do shake their head when they see the influence of Bojo who has a high international profile and is seen as a haughty fool or the ERG and JRM/Sméagol. But then again, most countries have their own Bojos and Smeagols to deal with.

Personally, what I am very happy to see is that Trump, Brexit and various other local politic shambles has boosted an interest in politics and being involved in politics amongst young people. They feel very strongly that we are fooking up their future. Good. Because we are. In the bigger scheme of things, immigration is just not an important topic. Global warming, the necessary energy transition, scarcity of water, equal opportunities, education, basic income, care for the boomers, national debts (globally), globalisation/international relations and automation should be the topics. People like Trudeau, AOC or in NL Klaver and Jetten. Younger politicians with brains and a well thought through position on these topics are thankfully now getting platforms. And maybe, hopefully, they may prove to be the builders of bridges between generations and nations. I say let them do it. Out with the old. Time for change.

And whether the UK does that alone or as part of the EU, I don't think people are too concerned about it. You'll be alright, but never waste a good crisis. When this is over and various old and new parties may need new leadership, I hope they give way to a younger generation.

That would have worked better if you'd remembered that smeagol was the good side.

a) are you sure the UK will be alright?

b) Germany does not have that much of a populist pull to the left and to the right

In my mind Sméagol is not the good side. It was more a jibe at his appearance tho. Very childish, I know. The man makes my blood boil so sometimes I can't resist.

Dude: how many times has Alice from the AfD been discussed in the last two days. Germany does have its own Bojos/Farages.

fook that bitch, we are going to smoke AfD in a pipe

and who does discuss her? her brexiter fans, not us here.

I wonder how many of the people who think no one sees Britain as racist are asking non-white northern europeans about this

my personal view is that we are still much less racist than average but the fact is people are empowered to say to strangers that they want the Poles to go home and I don't think that feeling existed in 2015

If europeans think we are racist they have not been to much of the rest of europe then. 

This thread has aids. 

DD clearly someone is discussing AfD in Germany as they got a heap of votes. Accept your country has its issues like everyone else.

Clergs where I work we have people from every corner of Europe and every ethnic group, so no I am not only talking to white northern Europeans.

It's not that they think we are as a country racist, it's that they no longer look up to us as an example of how to do things.

If something like the UN Security Council was set up today, we wouldn't be asked to be a permanent member. Whereas before our membership would have been valued as a calming, sensible influence allowing us to punch above our weight on the international stage, now it would be seen as a liability.

"If something like the UN Security Council was set up today, we wouldn't be asked to be a permanent member"

fook me some you really are stupid little pricks that will make up any old shit to reassure yourselves of your fictional world view. 

Heh um, why would one of the worlds best armed nuclear powers with independent submarine-based ICBM launch facilities be denied membership of the security council?

Because that fiction fits Coracle Lolling's mental image of the world. 

I don't think the French have ever considered us an as example of how to do anything. That is their way.

"It's not that they think we are as a country racist, it's that they no longer look up to us as an example of how to do things."

correct

I can't really think of anything in recent times where other countries looked up to the UK as an example of how to do things tbh.

Post WW2 that might have been a thing, but not in modern times.

Army? Falkland war deffo killed that.

Politics? Thatcher killed it.

Internal relations? Umm, Northern Ireland.

International relations? Yeah, maybe.

Education? No, and never was.

Sports? Football hooligans and obesity killed that.

Arts/entertainment? BBC was something to look up to for a long time.

NHS? Killed by austerity.

What am I missing?

Did they ever?  I doubt whether you speak for the whole world anyway Coracle.

"Falkland [sic] war deffo killed that"

Are you suggesting that the very epitome of a just war, i.e. defending British people against invasion by a foreign Fascist junta, somehow reflected badly on the UK?

well after thatcher came new labour and cool britannia

The fact that that war was even necessary is kinda viewed as a failure. Although perhaps I should have put this under international relations.

Tede point #3276:

There was no war in the Falklands, we did not declare war on Argentina (if we had then we would have leveled Buenos Aires to the ground long before our task force arrived).

It was a conflict. 

That's correct, Tricky.

Under the heading of "Army" it was a paradigm example of how a small well-trained force can kick the arse of huge numbers of conscripts even at distance.

The failure was in the necessity to deploy them.

Good point, Tecco.

Tricky: hang on wtf?! The falklands were invaded by an aggressor.  Of course use of force was necessary.  We had no choice, they literally gave us no choice.

And for all about the frogs being our pals, yeah lovely excocet sales, well known exactly what they were going to be used for at the time of sale.  Same for the super etenda mirage jets.

Ther Americans were publicly staying neutral.  But privately giving us tech that we simply did not have at the time.  Had the yanks not given us AMRAAM and sidewinder missiles, we could never have achieved air superiority and our gropos would have had to rely on the shitty raf regiment version of towed rapier for any hope of air defence. That they hadn’t actually been fully trained on at the time.

urgh I’ve ranted but bloody hell, get facts straight.

Tricky Woo03 Apr 19 10:24

Nobody sees the UK as a racist nation

Not true Trix.  There are plenty of people who think the UK on the whole are racist.  And plenty who think just England on the whole is racist.  It doesn't mean they are correct.

Tricky Woo03 Apr 19 12:17

I can't really think of anything in recent times where other countries looked up to the UK as an example of how to do things tbh.

Afternoon tea

Puddings

Cheddar

Erm....

Tbf, Mitterrand refused to give the Argies the lock on exocet codes